Economic Policy

Presidential timber? United Auto Workers president Shawn Fain speaks to guests at an election-night watch party.

Shawn Fain for President! Shawn Fain for President!

Centrist Democrats hate the union leader because he puts the working class first.

Apr 18, 2025 / Jeet Heer

Trade, Monopoly, and the Fight We Can’t Let Trump Define

Trade, Monopoly, and the Fight We Can’t Let Trump Define Trade, Monopoly, and the Fight We Can’t Let Trump Define

Tariffs and trade are not side issues, but a central front in the battle against monopoly power—and for self-government.

Apr 17, 2025 / Zephyr Teachout

The Bank of China on April 10, 2025, in New York City. US stocks tumbled as investors assessed the worsening trade war with China.

Trump’s Tariff Shock and the China Supply Chain Trump’s Tariff Shock and the China Supply Chain

We are now in a trade war with China, and the only question is: How long before Trump (and America) blink?

Apr 16, 2025 / James K. Galbraith

Employees and supporters protest outside the headquarters for United States Agency for International Development (USAID), on Monday, February 3, 2025, after Elon Musk posted on social media that he and President Donald Trump would shut down the agency.

Elon Musk Has No Idea How USAID Works. This Former Staffer Knows. Elon Musk Has No Idea How USAID Works. This Former Staffer Knows.

USAID programs demonstrate a moral commitment that Americans today urgently need to preserve, not destroy.

Apr 15, 2025 / Arnold Isaacs

A screen displays financial news on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Thursday, April 3, 2025.

Bond Vigilantes Are Now the Unchallenged Kings Thanks to a Feckless Congress and Reckless Trump Bond Vigilantes Are Now the Unchallenged Kings Thanks to a Feckless Congress and Reckless Trump

A president who bullies Congress kowtows to the bond market.

Apr 11, 2025 / Jeet Heer

President Donald Trump, alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio (L) and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (R), speaks during a cabinet meeting on April 10, 2025, in Washington, DC.

Were They “Getting Yippy” or Was Trump Manipulating the Market? Were They “Getting Yippy” or Was Trump Manipulating the Market?

I don’t know exactly what went down in the hours before Trump publicly announced a “pause” on tariffs, but it merits investigation.

Apr 10, 2025 / Sasha Abramsky

A MAGA hat on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Monday, April 7, 2025.

A Trade Catastrophe Could Be the Thing That Finally Tears the GOP Apart A Trade Catastrophe Could Be the Thing That Finally Tears the GOP Apart

The fallout from Trump’s tariff plans has pitted the Republican financial elite against MAGA culture warriors in a way that threatens to split the coalition.

Apr 10, 2025 / Chris Lehmann

Scott Bessent speaks to the press outside the West Wing of the White House in Washington, DC, on April 9, 2025.

Scott Bessent Is Doing a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Job Scott Bessent Is Doing a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Job

The treasury secretary’s pronouncements keep missing the mark—wildly, weirdly, and dangerously.

Apr 10, 2025 / John Nichols

A shipping container is moved at the Port Jersey Container Terminal in Jersey City, New Jersey, on April 8, 2025.

Shawn Fain Is Right. America Needs to Rethink Trade. Shawn Fain Is Right. America Needs to Rethink Trade.

Trump’s tariff war is chaotic, but there is no way out of neoliberal globalization without some form of protectionism.

Apr 9, 2025 / Dustin Guastella

The Rev. William Barber II’s “Hands Off” Rally Speech: “We Cannot and Must Not Bow”

The Rev. William Barber II’s “Hands Off” Rally Speech: “We Cannot and Must Not Bow” The Rev. William Barber II’s “Hands Off” Rally Speech: “We Cannot and Must Not Bow”

“We cannot be at ease in America. History is pushing us; the present is demanding us; the future is calling us.”

Apr 8, 2025 / Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II

x